Bottle-closure disk



Oct. 21, 1930. w. 1 WRIGHT 1,779,350

BOTTLE CLOSURE DISK Filed March 5, 1928 Patented Oct. 21, 1930 UNITEDSTATE-s PATENT OFFICE WILBUR L. WRIGHT, OF FULTON, YORK, LSSIGNOB TQ`OSWEGO FALIiS CORPORA- TION, 0F FULTON, NEW YORK, OCRPQBATION OFNEWYORK no'rrLE-cnosunn msx Application tiled March 5, 1928. Serial No.259,171. l'

This invention relates to certain improvements in paper or like fibrousmaterial disks, sometimes known as milkcapsfor insertion under more orless pressure into the mouths of bottles and other containers to seattherein` under more or less tension or compression, for closing orsealing the containers, and. to that type of such milk caps, composed ofa disk ef one piece or thickness of longitudinally splittable pulp orpaper board, incised part way through its thickness from above and belowto provide for splitting up a pull tab by which the necessary pull canbe exerted to extract the disk from the bottle mouth, and also toprovide for a pouring opening through the disk should the dlsk be notextracted from the bottle mouth; and the objects and nature of mypresent invention will be readily understood by those skilled in theart'in the light of the following explanations of the accompanyingdrawings that illustrate what I now believe to be the preferredmechanical e re'ssion or embodiment of my invention om among other formsand arrangements within the spirit and scope thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide, as an article of manufacture1a single-thickness one-piece closure disk of paper or other feltedfibrous material capable of splitting or tearing in a lane between andparallel with its top and ottoni surfaces, with said disk fiat andwithout such projections at its top and bottom surfaces as would preventthe use thereof in machinery for automatically seating the disks incontainer mouths, and with said flat disk closed or imperforateagainstthe passage of liquidtherethrough under usual conditions when invuse, and with said flat disk of suiiicient structural strength towithstand the pressure of the thumb or finger or the capping machineplunger in forcing the disk into a container, without splitting ortearing to open liquid leaking passages therethrough, andwith said flatdisk so incised part y way through from above and below as to outline atthe top and bottom faces of the single disk atop pull tab panel and abottom depressible panel directly under and of different dimensions fromthe top panel with said outlined portions united and capable of beingsplit or torn from each other and from the remainder of the disk toforma lifted tab and a depressed tab, each in thickness about half thethickness of the disk, and a pouring openin through the diskand with thetop panel ormed or braced at its base junction with the body of the diskto resist separation from the disk under disk extracting pull after saidtop panel has been lifted at its free end and split up from the bottompanel to form a pull tab', 'and with said -iat disk preferably having atop depression, from which a plug of the paper has been cut out andremoved, to expose the pick-up end of the top panel and to form a hingeor easy bend line for the depressible or bottom panel.

With this and other objects in view my invention consists in the novelarticle of manufacture substantiallyas hereinafter described andspecified. y

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof:

'Fig 1 is a top plan of a one-piece paper disk showing an exampleinaccordance with Ymy invention, dotted lines indicatingthe intab havingbeen rst split up and then pressed down' into the disk.

Fig. 5 is a section on the lline 5-5, Fig. l. Fig. 6' is a section onthe line 6 6, Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a section showing the pull tab elevatedand the bottom tab depressed.

Fig. 8 is a perspective showing both tabs split from ,the disk. l

yIn the particular example illustrated, the

circular flat disk 1, is imperforate, closed yor tight against thepassage of liquid therethrough, and is cut from a single-thickness orone-piece sheet of paper or like felted fibrous material or so-calledpaper or' pulp board of the re uiredthiclmess, say solliewhere between aout forty to seventy thousandths of an inch, more or less. The disks arecut from a sheet paper product that has been inished by the paper makingmachinery, having usually hard or calendered fiat top and bottomsurfaces of one intervening thlckness or ply of felted fibres, yet thisstrong stiff completed sheet material possesses the peculiar capacity ofsplitting, under pull in the proper direction, in a plane between andparallel with the top and bottom surfaces, into sheets of sub-thicknessor that are relatively thin and raw where split.

This flat single thickness paper board disk 1, is formed with a verticalor transverse inclsion or cut 2, extending down through its top face forabout one half the thickness of the disk, to outline on the top face ofthe disk, a tab or panel 3, remote, or located inwardly of the disk,from the periphery of the disk. The base 3, of this panel, in thisparticular example the outer end thereof, is permanently joined intoor.xed against separation from the body of the disk, as by trans-Y versestaple 4, the legs of which are driven through the disk and clinchedagainst or into the bottom of the disk. The opposite, or in thisexample, the inner end of the panel, constitutes the pick-up end 3b,thereof, and its pick-up edge is exposed in, and is freely accessible tothe fingernail through a transversely elongated well or recess 5, in thetop of the disk, and in depth equal to or slightly deeper than the topincision 2. This recess 5, is formed by removing a vertical plug of thedisk leaving the recessconnecting and into which the inner ends of thelongitudinal spaced portions of incision 2, open, so that the recess islocated across or defines the inner transverse end of the panel 3, withthe floor of the recess in approximately the plane (parallel with thetop and bottom surfaces of the disk) atwhich the incision 2, terminates.

The top panel 3, outlined by incision 2, is designed to be picked up atits end 3", by the fing-cr nail to enable the fingers to grasp and pullupwardly thereon and thereby split or tear upwardly from the body ofthedisk longitudinally of the panel, a free end pull tab in thickness equalto the depth of incision 2, and at its base permanently joined to thedisk by staple 4, which limits the longitudinal separation of the tabfrom the disk. This upwardly extending relatively-thin free end tab isdesigned to possess sufficient tensile strength, both itself and at itsjuncture with the disk, to withstand the pulling force necessary toextract the disk from the bottle mouth. The separation and elevation ofthis pull tab, forms or leaves in the top of the disk, a depressionhaving a flat floor in continuation of the floor of recess 5, and indepth equal to the thickness of the pull tab, the under surface of whichtab is raw as split from said floor.

The disk is peculiarly formed so that the provision ofa pouring orsuction straw or tube opening through the floor of the depression formedby stripping and elevating the pull tab, is optional with the user. Thepouring or straw opening through the disk does not exist in the articleof manufacture, even after the closure disk has been put to its intendeduse closing the bottle, nor does an opening through the disk for pouringor straw. purposes, exist, after the user has split up the pull tab fromthe disk or even' used the same to extract the disk from the bottle, asthe fioor of the recess from which the pull tab was torn or split stillremains intact closing the disk, until the user applies the necessarydownward pressure on said floor to tear and split the longitudinalmarginal portions of the depressible bottom tab that constitutes themajor portion of said Hoor from the body of the disk beyond the oppositelongitudinal sides or margins of the recess. The bottom incision is soarranged that its longitudinal or side cuts 7, are spaced a greaterdistance apart than the side cuts of the top incision, and are thusvertically out off alinement therewith, the side cuts of the topincision being about centrally located between the two vertical planesof the bottom cuts. These bottom side cuts 7, are connected and joinedby an elongated transverse bottom cross cut 8, to form the completeapproximately U-shaped bottom incision that outlines the bottomdepressible tab or panel 9. The side cuts 7, converge longitudinallywith respect to the top tab panel toward the hinge end of panel 9, whichis located under the top recess 5, and the inner ends of said bottomcuts 7, terminate preferably beyond the opposite ends of the floor ofrecess 5, without extending or cutting through the floor ot said recess.The recess 5, is thus in effect located between the separated inner endsof bottom cuts 7, and the ioor thereof is utilized to form a, flexiblehinge for the depressible bottom tab. The cross cuts 8, of the bottomincision preferably extends between and traverses the vertical planes ofthe side cuts of the top incision and projects beyond the same, andextends across but not up into the base portion of the top tab. Thislong bottom cross cut or incision 8, establishes the free end of thebottom depressible tab and is approximately parallel with the length ofthe staple and located inwardly of the disk a short distance from saidstaple to take advantage of the stiffness imparted to the disk adjacentthe staple, and to provide for a ledge or shoulder under the base of thetop tab when elevated, and when the bottom tab has beendepressed. v

The disk is thus incised about half way through upwardly from the bottomto outline the relatively very wide bottom panel, and is incised abouthalf way through downwardly from the top to outline the relativelynarrow top panel located centrally over and longitudinally ofthe bottompanel, which bottom panel terminates short of-the staple securing thebase of the top panel and includes as its hinge portion the relativelythin oor of the top recess exposing the pick-up the incisions, when thedisk issubjected to downward more or less localized`pressure ofthethumb, linger, or plunger head, exerted to force the disk to its seatwithin a bottle mouth, and particularly to avoid accidental splitting ofthe disk and depression of the top panel and bottom tabs, under suchjust mentioned disk forcing and bending action.

If the user wishes to extract the disk from the bottle mouth, the freeAend of the to tab is picked up and the tab is then torn ang split fromthe bottom tab portion to the extent permitted by the staple, and saidtop tab is then used to extract the disk, without disturbing the floorthat closes the disk below said top tab, and which floor, except for theshort ledge under the base of the top tab, constitutes the top exposedraw surface of the central longitudinal portion of the bottom panel, theinner end and opposite marginal pol-tions of which are still unbrokenparts of the disk. On the other hand, if the user, after splitting andtearing up the top tab from the bottom panel, does not wish to remove,the disk, but desires a pouring or suction straw opening through thedisk, it is merely necessary to press down with the linger on the rawtop surface of the floory of the recess formed by elevating the top tab,with sufficient pressure to tear and split the side marginal portionsofthe bottom tab from the under side of the disk at the opposite sideedges of said recess, whereupon the bottom tab will swing down on itsflexible hinge formed by the thin floor of top recess 5, as

' the wide front edgeof the bottom tab is established by the longtransverse part of the bottom incision which usually extends up throughthe floor under the top tab when torn therefrom.

I do not wish to limit all features of my invention to a one-piece diskincised at the top and bottom to provide the relatively wide depressibletab panel under tl1e\relatively narrow top pull tab panel, as my widedepressible tab bottom panel .can be' located under and covered by afree end to lift pull tab panel formed by a separate str1p`of suitablematerial at one end stapled or otherwise stitched to the disk at a pointclose to but outwardly beyond the outer or what becomes the free end ofthe depressible bottom panel.

I do not wish t'o limit myself to theexact forms ofthe panelsoutlined bythe incisions, nor do I wish to limit all features of my invention tostitching or stapling the top panel against separation at its base fromthe disk, nor do I wish to'limit all features of my invention to thearticle of manufacture having the pick-up end of the top tab pre-splitfrom the disk.V

What I claim is l. As a new article of manufacture,' a flat sin le-plyone-piece fibrous material closure dis closed against passage of liquidtherethrough, and incised down through its top and up through its bottombut part way through the disk, to outline a relatively-wide vdepressiblebottom tab panel forming an unbroken integral part of the disk, and tooutline a relatively-narrow top pull tab panel arranged centrally overand longitudinally of said'bottom panel and forming an integral partthereof adapted to be elevated at i one end and torn and split therefromto expose the raw top surface of the central longitudinal portion of thebottom tab having its marginal side portions unbroken from the disk,whereby said bottom tab can be depressed to split and tear its marginalportions from the disk.

2. As an article of manufacture, a flat paper material closure diskhaving a top pull tab panel and a securing staple, said disk incisedupwardly at its bottom to outline a bottom depressible pull tab panelforming an unbroken integral part of the disk arranged longitudinallyunder and of greater width than said top pulltab and adapted to beexposed at its top for depression and tearing and splitting at itsopposite side margins from the disk, when the top tab is elevated, saidldisk providing a hinge portion for said bottom tab approximately underthe pick up end of the top tab, said incision providing for the free endedge of the bottom tab located inwardly from said staple.

3. As an article of manufacture, a onethickness flat paper-materialclosure disk incised part way through at the bottom tol outline abottomdepressible tab panel forming the portion of the bottom incisionlocating the free end of tho bottom panel, said disk having a top recessthe Hoor of which provides a flexible. hinge for `said bottom depress- 5ible tab, said top panel forming the unbroken integral intermediatelongitudial top part ot' said bottom panel capable of being split andtorn up therefrom.

4. As an article of manufacture, a flat onepiece disk of paper materialsplittable botween its top and bottom surfaces, said flat disk closedagainst the passage of liquid therethrough, said disk incised part Waythrough from the top to provide a top pull tab panel forming an unbrokenpart of the disk, a staple passed through the disk at the base of thepanel, the opposite end of said panel adapted to be picked up forraising to split the panel upwardly from the disk toward said staple toform a pull tab and expose the raw top surface of a floor closing thedisk under the tab, said disk incised upwardly through the bottom t-ooutline a bottom depressible tab panel that includes said floor and thatprovides at one end a hinge connection with the disk, and to form thefree end of the depressed tab, with its free edge adj acent to andspaced inwardly from said staple. In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset my hand at Fulton, New York, this 2d day of March, 1928.

WILBUR L. WRIGHT.

